Conventional methods of designing analog or mixed analog/digital circuits require services of one or more highly skilled analog design engineers. Typically, the design process follows a systematic approach involving a number of distinct steps. These steps include meeting with a customer; creating a preliminary schematic circuit diagram on paper; identifying components that will meet operating specifications of the circuit; simulating the circuit using mathematical or computer programs to verify the design; and building and testing a prototype of the design against the customer specification. Generally, each of the above steps must be repeated one or more times to satisfy customer requirements.
More recently, advanced computerized design tools have been introduced that allow engineers to design an analog circuit using an exemplary or model and to select and to facilitate prototyping of the circuit by interconnecting blocks of sub-circuits on a programmable integrated circuit (IC).
However what all of the existing methods and design the tools share a common deficiency in that they require a high level of expertise in analog and/or mixed signal design in order to be used proficiently.